The putter and the putting stroke using the putter in the game of golf have plagued all types of players from the professional to the beginner. Essentially, the hitting portion which is the face of the blade or other form of putter, must be placed square, i.e. at right angles to the target line of travel selected by the player. In other words, the face of the putter should be at right angles to the selected target line at the point of impact.
Once the putter head has been thusly positioned, the stroke and speed are mentally determined, and this requires concentration by the player. Numerous grips for making the stroke with the putter have been advocated over the years but, again, fundamentally in order to keep the putter head on the selected target line of travel the back of the left hand and the palm of the right hand should be square to the target line. The stroke with this grip appears to be the one which most consistently returns the face of the putter square to the line of travel at the point of impact.
The swing is a matter of mechanics. Many professionals advocate the arm and shoulder technique, and while this is used a great deal, it requires so many compensating movements that for the ordinary golfer it is too difficult to master or even to use correctly. The simplest and most effective stroke for the putt is the hinging or breaking action of the wrists. This allows the putter head to come naturally off of the ground in a proper arc on the back swing and returns the putter safely square to the line of target travel.
To assist this stroke, in addressing a putt the player should assume a relaxed position and be as comfortable as possible. To do this and still maintain the face of the putter on line with the target travel the hands should be held closely to the body and the club head toward the left foot, with the eyes of the player directly over the ball.
The object of all of this is to swing the putter face squarely back and through the ball on the selected line of the target travel.
The coordination of the mental processes and physical movements in the putting stroke has been a will-of-the-wisp amongst golfers since the start of the game. It has been a prolific source of suggestions, theories and gadgets, but few have made any real or substantial contribution to improve the pleasure and excellence of playing the game of golf on the green.